1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to vehicle traffic stops performed by, for example and without limitation, police officers, and, in particular, to a system for assisting with such vehicle traffic stops that enables the stop to be conducted without requiring the police officer to leave his or her vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A traffic stop is initiated when a police officer observes a motorist failing to abide by one or more traffic laws. Presently, the majority of traffic stops are conducted in a regimented and uniform manner as follows. First, the officer pulls his or her law enforcement vehicle up behind the identified motorist vehicle and initiates the lights of the law enforcement vehicle. This signals to the motorist that the officer wants to conduct a traffic stop. In response, the motorist will typically pull to the side of the road and stop his or her vehicle. The law enforcement vehicle will follow the motorist vehicle and stop behind it, leaving approximately a car length's distance between the two vehicles. Typically, the officer will position the law enforcement vehicle about two feet further toward the main roadway relative to the motorist vehicle so as to serve as a protective barrier to passing traffic.
As the vehicles are taking position on the side of the roadway as just described, the officer will communicate with his or her dispatch center via radio to provide the current location, the make/model of the motorist vehicle, and the license plate number of the motorist vehicle. During the majority of traffic stops, the officer will wait inside the law enforcement vehicle while the validity of the vehicle and license plate are verified. Each agency has a different standard operating procedure to obtain these verifications. If no issues with these identifiers arise, the officer will, in most circumstances, then exit the law enforcement vehicle and approach the stopped motorist vehicle on the driver's side thereof. During the initial contact with the motorist, the officer will request the motorists driver's license and registration documentation. The officer may also ask a series of questions related to the traffic infraction(s) that led to the stop. With documentation in hand, the officer will typically return to the law enforcement vehicle to further examine the validity of the documentation. If a citation or written warning is warranted, the officer will draft citation or written warning and return to the motorist vehicle to deliver it along with the motorist's documentation. At this time the motorist is typically free to leave.
Traffic stops are inherently dangerous for police officers, many of whom patrol and conduct stops alone. Officers typically take steps to protect themselves from passing traffic, such as using their own car as a barrier as described above, in addition, many states have enacted laws requiring freeway traffic approaching a stopped police vehicle to merge over to the left, leaving an entire lane as a buffer zone for the officer. Notwithstanding these efforts, according to FBI statistics, more officers are killed or injured annually during the course of traffic stops than at any other time, excluding vehicle accidents and affecting arrests.